Dear CrossFit Stuttgart Athletes,As a new CrossFit box, in a city new to CrossFit, this Open season is an especially big deal for us. It’s an opportunity to establish the tone we have worked for our box since the beginning. Our focus is improving the fitness of our athletes through quality coaching, programming, friendly competition, and community.First of all, what is the Open? The Open is what kicks off the CrossFit Games Season. Over the next five weeks, there will be five work outs. Each will be released on a Thursday night and needs to be completed by the following Monday. The first Open WOD of the season, 14.1, was released last night. It is:AMRAP 10min:15 Power Snatches (34/25kg)30 Double UndersAs many of you know, about half of CrossFit Stuttgart Athletes have been doing CrossFit for less than 3 months and about 75% have been doing CrossFit for less than 6 months. While more experienced athletes see this WOD and think “no problem!” – 14.1 does present a number of challenges for many of our athletes.That said, we want everyone to take part. To us, the Open isn’t about winning. It’s about capturing that spirit of competition that drives each of us to push ourselves a little harder. Remember that feeling when the group is racing to finish a WOD and you push yourself to move harder and faster? Do you do that because you want to win? Sometimes, but usually we do that because the group motivates us. The Open is like that, but with athletes worldwide, to include some of the world’s best. The athletes with the top scores in the Open Competition will compete in Regionals (in May), and the top Regional Competitors will go to the 2014 CrossFit Games. The winners will be named the World’s Fittest. It all starts here. We want to make sure everyone does this WOD to best of their ability without sacrificing their overall fitness. If you get a killer score but injure your shoulder, that’s not a win for you or for us. So we pulled together some tips from the coaches.

A few more thoughts..

SCALE IF YOU NEED TOWe are offering a scaled option, so everyone feels comfortable doing the work out. There are no excuses!

AMRAP 10 Min90 Single Unders15 Power Snatches (15/20)

PRIZESPrizes? Yes, prizes. The male and female winners of the day in the scaled option and the prescribed work out will win a T-Shirt.GET IN HERE AND GET SOMEYou have your advice. You have prizes. You have no excuses!If you have officially registered for the Open (games.crossfit.com), make sure you bring a camera or iPhone. We have judges here to judge you so your entry is good to go. We have 1 back up camera if yours fails.We will be running the workout in heats of 4 every half hour. Register for timeslot just as you would any other work out, by clicking on “Schedule” above and choosing the slot that works for you. ** Do this even if you RSVP'd previously to the night out and open party. **Other sundry points about Saturday:

The open workouts begin at 10:00, but the party really starts around 11:00 (with workouts still ongoing). The party ends at 14:00, with enough time to clean up and clear out for 15:15 yoga.

It’s a potluck part. That means everyone brings something to share. Will we turn you away at the door if you show up without something to share? No. But it would be very cool of you to bring something.

It’s Tina’s birthday! She’s signed up for the 11am time slot. Be sure to arrive in time to cheer on the birthday girl.

There is no cover for the night out at Mrs Jones, nor a minimum drink. Dress is casual.

Drink plenty of water and get lots of sleep tonight. See you tomorrow athletes. As always, get in here and get some!!Paul & Ann

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